Fuse for projectiles



Sept. 23; 1924. Y

J. H. WOODBERRY FUSE FOR PROJECTILES Filed Oct. 3. 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

Sept. 23 1924.

, 1,509,328 J. H. WOODBERRY FUSE FOR PROJECTILES I Filed .Oct. 5, 1919' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

JOHN H. WOODBERRY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FUSE FOR PROJECTILES.

Application filed October 3, 1919.

Serial No. 328,290.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L., 625.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. lVOODBERRY, a citizen of the United States, stationed at lVashington, District of Columbia, have invented an Improvement in Fuses for Projectiles, of which the following is aspecifi cation.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its ofiicers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates, generally, to fuses for projectiles and, more particularly, to means for compressing the firing-pin-spring automatically by the shock of discharge of the projectile carrying the fuse; and, while the present invention is designed, more particularly, for use in combination with the device shown, described and claimed in my (lo-pending application for base fuses filed September 20, 1919, Serial No. 325, 277, it is obvious that it is not restricted to use in this particular combination.

The object, therefore, of the invention is to devise novel means for automatically compressing the firing-pin-spring, such means being operable by shock of discharge of the projectile carrying the fuse, and being exceedingly simple in construction and positive and reliable in action.

With this object in View, the invention resides, generally stated, in a firing-pin normally held against movement toward the firing position, an automatically-actuated spring-compressing member disposed against one end of the firing-pin driving-spring, and means carried by said spring-compressing member for automatically lockmg said member in spring-compressing position.

The accompanying drawings disclose an exemplary embodiment of the underlying principles of my invention. Brie-fly described Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a fuse equipped with my improvements, the parts being in normal posi- "tion, i. e., the position thereof before discharge of the projectile carrying the fuse; and

Figure 2 is a similar view, the parts being shown in the position they assume upon impact of the projectile carrying the fuse;

Figure 3 is a detached detail view in end elevation, of the quadrantal spring-locking members;

Figure-4 is a development of the springarming means for the firing pin;

Figure 5 is an axial section through the arming-casing; and

Figure 6 is a detached detail view, in side elevation, of the firing-pin support.

Certain structural parts and their 001..- bination and arrangement are the same as in my said co -pending application, and these parts will be firstly briefly described, to lay a proper basis for an intelligible understanding of the relation of my present invention thereto. parts, and for this purpose, reference may be had, in detail, to the drawings:

1 designates the fuse stock provided with a diaphragm 6, through which projects and reciprocates a plunger 11, carrying the primer 15 and the detonator 13, disposed at opposite ends thereof.

17 17 designates safety locking bolts holding the plunger 11 normally in unarmed position.

The plunger 11 is supported in a tubular member 26, into which it projects at one end.

The firing-pin comprises a shank or stem 39, a pointed extremity 40, and a collar 41 carrying a diamet-ric pin or peg 42 working in longitudinally extendingslots 44, 44 in a stationary firing-pin support or barrel 43 provided with a head 35. .The slots 44,44 are provided with offset portions or branches 45, 45 in which the projecting ends of the peg 42 are normally held. Encircling the shank of the firing-pin is the firing-pin driv ing-spring 47.

Encircling the barrel 43 is a locking sleeve carrying a locking dog 52 movable in one of the slots 44.

Centrifugally operable means are provided for normally holding the sleeve 50 in the position shown in Figure 1, with the locking dog 52 blocking. egress of the pin 42 from the offset 45. Such means comprise a metallic band 56 carrying a plurality of spring fingers 5T bearing against the sleeve 50 and against an annular circumferential shoulder 58 thereon. The band encircles the tubular portion of an end screw-cap 66 screwed into a tubular bushing 67 screwed into the fuse stock 1. When the cap 66 is I will now describe these Cir screwed into the bushing 67, the band 56 is frictionally held between the bushing and the tubular portion 65 of the screw cap 66 as shown in the drawing.

lVhile the operationof the parts so far described is fully set forth in my said copending application, it may be briefly re stated as follows:

In flight, as soon as positive linear acceleration ceases, centrifugal force operating on the locking bolts 17, 17 causes them to move radially outward, thus releasing and arming the plunger 11. Also, under the action of centrifugal force, the spring-fingers 5? flex outward, thus releasing the locking-sleeve 50 and arming the firing-pin. Upon impact, the fuse and the projectile are retarded, and the tendency of the movable parts in the fuse is to moveforward by their inertia. Consequently, the plunger 11 moves toward the firing-pin, and the locking-sleeve 50 also moves forward, removing the locking-dog 52 from the path of movement of the peg 42.

So long as the resistance is such as to cause the inertia of the firing-pin to produce a force greater than and counter to the force of the spring 47, the firing-pin-spring remains compressed. When the resistance becomes insufiicient to keep the firing-pinspring compressed, the spring extends itself with a force equal to the difference between the force due to the inertia of these parts and the force of the spring. If the cessation is sufiiciently sudden, the firing-pin will be projected into the primer 15 with sufficient force to explode the same. If, however, the resistance should cease gradually, the firing-pin-spri11g would also extend gradually, and, consequently, the firing-pin, moving thus slowly under the influence of the slowly extending spring, will not have sufficient force to fire the primer. To obviate such occurrence, means are provided for retarding the extension of the spring until sufiicient force is stored therein to fire the primer when the spring extends. This re tardation ofaction of the spring is accom plished by cutting the inclined walls 56 of the branches 45, in which the projecting ends of the peg 42 rest, at such an angle to the slots 44 that it will require a force sufiiciently great to fire the primer to overcome friction between the peg ends and said off-set portions and drive the projecting ends of the peg into the longitudinal slots 44. It will thus be seen that a gradual cessation of resistance to penetration will not cause the spring 47 to extend gradually, but with suflicient force, in all cases, to fire the primer. The projecting ends of the peg 42 rotate out of the branches 45 and then, with a longitudinal movement, the firing-pin is propelled, under the action of its driving spring, against the primer.

It will thus be seen that the fuse gives an,

automatic selective delay in firing, through mechanical means, the delay, in all cases, being proportional to the resistance encountered.

The mechanism constituting the subject matter of the present invention will now be described. Bearing against one end of the firing-pin-spring 47 is a spring-compressing member comprising a head 59, and a concen tric tubular stem telescoping the shank or stem 39 of the firing-pin.

The outer surface of the head 59 is preferably provided with a plurality of inclined faces and bearing thereagainst are segmental members 61, having a limited sliding movement on said inclined faces by means of pins or screws 63 screwed into said head 59 and passing through slots 64 in said members 61.

The operation of my automatic spring compressing mechanism is as follows 2 When the projectile carrying the fuse is discharged, the spring-compressing member 59, together with the spring-locking members 61, is caused to move inward by the shock of discharge, against the tension of the spring 47, thereby compressing the latter. As soon as the locking members 61 reach the annular groove 62, in the bore of the tubular portion 65 of the cap 66, they move radially outward thereinto, by reason of centrifugal force, thus locking the spring compressed.

Vhile I have referred to the members 61 as means for locking the spring-compressing member 59 in spring-compressing position, yet it will. be appreciated that they function, also, initially, as spring-compressing means, by reason of their inertia, thus cooperating with the spring-compressing member 59.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fuse structure, the combination with a normally unarmed firing pin, armed by impact. of the fuse carrying the shell with its target and means for delaying action of the pin after arming, of a driving spring for the'firing pin, a spring compressing member at one end of said spring and operable by shock of discharge of the rojectile carrying the fuse and centrifuga 1y operable means for holding said spring compressing member in spring compressing position.

2. In a fuse structure, the combination with a normally unarmed firing pin armed by impact of the projectile carrying the fuse and means for delaying action of the pin after arming, of a driving spring for the firing pin, a movable spring compressing member bearing against one end of said spring and operable by shock of discharge of the projectile carrying the fuse and centrifugally operable members carried by said spring compressing member for holding it in spring compressing position.

3. In a fuse structure, the combination with a normally unarmed firing pin armed by impact of the projectile carrying the fuse and means for delaying action of the pin after arming, of a driving spring for the firing pin, an automatically operable spring compressing member disposed against one end of said spring and provided with a tubular stem encircled by said spring and telescoping said firing pin, and centrifugally operable means for holding said spring compressing member in spring compressing po- 15 sition.

4. In a fuse structure, the combination With a normally unarmed firing pin armed by impact of the shell carrying the fuse and means for delaying action of the pin after arming, of a driving spring for the firing pin, an automatically operable spring compressing member bearing against one end of said spring, and having, at one end, inclined bearing faces and centrifugally operable 5 members bearing against said inclined faces for locking said spring compressing member in spring compressing position.

5. In a fuse structure, the combination With a normally unarmed firing pin armed by impact of the shell carrying the fuse, and means for delaying action of the firing pin after arming, of a driving spring for the firing pin, an automatically operable spring compressing member, and locking members carried by and centrifugally movable obliquely to the axis of said spring compressing member for holding it in spring compressing position.

6. In a fuse structure, the combination With a normally unarmed firing pin armed by impact of the shell carrying the fuse and means for delaying action of the firing pin after arming, of a driving spring for the firing pin, a spring compressing member disposed at one end of said spring and operable by shock of discharge of the projectile carrying the fuse and means for holding said spring compressing member in spring compressing position.

JOHN H. WOODBERRY. 

